The Connacht Tribune Group picked up three of the best at the eighth annual Local Ireland Media Awards, which took place recently at the Bloomfield House Hotel near Mullingar.

Two of the awards were for our front pages – one was for the Connacht Tribune for Best Use of Photography for Joe O’Shaughnessy’s Tree of Us.

Joe recreated a Christmas photograph 40 years on; the original featured Nonie Ruane and her two young sons bringing their Christmas tree over O’Brien’s Bridge in 1982.

And 40 years later, Joe recreated the same pic, with Nonie, now 90, and now-adult sons Brian and Patrick. Stephen Corrigan wrote the accompanying story.

The other was for the front page of the Galway City Tribune after a dramatic rescue from the Prom led the paper.

An elderly couple were rescued after their car had veered out of control and into the water. Francis Farragher wrote the story that accompanied Joe’s dramatic photo of the car being pulled from the sea.

And the third award went to our advertising department, winning Best Advertising Campaign for a series with our loyal advertisers, the Wylde Restaurant at the Hyde Hotel.

Sixteen awards were made on the night, with our neighbours in the Tuam Herald also coming home with three of them.

A special Lifetime Achievement presentation was made to former Western People Editor Terry Reilly for his outstanding contribution to journalism and his community in Mayo.

The ceremony was hosted by Lyric FM presenter and Eurovision guru Marty Whelan.

President of Local Ireland and Head of Irish Times Regionals, Dan Linehan, said the awards ‘reflect the professionalism, quality and skillset across the newsrooms of regional newspapers in Ireland who provide the highest quality local news and sports coverage in print and online every day and every week to our readers’.

“We also appreciate the work of our judges, who, with their experience and personal skills, ensure that these awards are judged to the highest standard and that they are a benchmark for quality journalism in Ireland,” he said.

“Finally, we thank the National Lottery for their continued support for the Local Ireland Media Awards – this partnership allows us to recognise the work of journalists across the country working in local regions and servicing their communities.”

Pictured: Connacht Tribune Group team with their Local Ireland Media Awards (from left) Denise McNamara, Kieran Rabbitte, Dee Maxwell, Corinna Hurley, Enda Cunningham and Declan McGuire.